The dive into Dortmund's defensive plans for next season
- BVB Central
- May 21, 2024
- 3 min read
Borussia Dortmund has had one of the best defenses in Europe this season, while that may shock some due to the shaky performances in recent years, the defensive duo of Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck has worked very well, conceding only 8 goals across 12 UCL games, conceding at most 2 goals, against Atletico Madrid twice and against PSG once in the groupstage, while this defense has worked great, change is bound to happen this summer
Image via Mats Hummels on Instagram
Will Mats Hummels stay?
While Mats Hummels's has been brilliant this season, playing a significant role in the UCL Finals run Dortmund has had so far, he is 35 years old, and that will almost certainly impact his decision
Dortmund's final game of this season is June 1st, at Wembley where they'll be playing Real Madrid to be crowned European champions, should Dortmund win, one would have to wonder whether that also impacts Mats Hummels's decision, does he end his career on the highest of high notes, or does he continue to play the world class football he is capable of playing for another season
One thing is for sure, his decision will come after the Champions League final, as Sky Sports DE Reporter Patrick Berger says, his future is open and it will be decided in the future
Who could Dortmund sign to possibly succeed Hummels?
The task of succeeding Mats Hummels will undoubtedly be a very difficult task, one name brought up by English newspapers was Virgil Van Dijk, which was shut down by some German media, I did some digging and also found the English report to be not quite accurate, but who else could replace Mats?
Waldemar Anton is a name that has been brought up by BILD in a recent article linked below https://t.co/DN4J4SXTXOhttps://t.co/DN4J4SXTXO
Anton, who has a €20m release clause, could be seen as a solid fit, but is just one of the many options Dortmund is considering
Oumar Solet is another name who Dortmund have been linked to, as they've reportedly sent scouts to watch his matches in the recent months, according to 90min
Another name that has been brought up is Dean Huijsen, who according to sources in Rome, will not be staying for another season, he'll go back to Juventus, where he could look to make a push for a role in their first team, or could leave, a situation where he would have a number of suitors
Will Ian Maatsen turn his short stay in Dortmund to a long term stay
According to Patrick Berger, Ian Maatsen is a player who wants to stay with Dortmund for another season
Dortmund does not wish to pay his large release clause and will attempt to negotiate with Chelsea for a lower fee, where Dortmund will have the upper hand due to Maatsen's want to join Dortmund as well as the FFP (Financial Fair Play) worries Chelsea has as well
Image via BVB
Where else will Dortmund look to improve defensively
It's quite obvious that some jobs are secured, like Gregor Kobel and Nico Schlotterbeck (and likely Mats Hummels if he stays), but some are not, for example, Emre Can, the current defensive midfielder, and Julian Ryerson, the hard working right back who has done a tremendous job I think, but those are two positions that are likely to improve, but with who?
Currently there are no solid right back rumors, where as there have been some speculation about possible 6's for next season, like Alan Varela, who has a huge €70m release clause Dortmund cannot pay, but also a new name in Pascal Groß from Brighton who Patrick Berger says is being discussed internally, Eintracht Frankfurt's interest is more concrete as of now however
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